LtCmdr Jovenan – Some people say they never forget a face...
Jovenan
((Deck 3, USS Artemis))
Jovenan had chosen to take a long way around to her quarters. Touring Deck 3 hardly counted as an exercise, but after a while sitting on one’s butt and equally long stretch coming ahead, even the short stroll helped her feel more energetic and less cramped. She’d get a good run in the Fitness Centre when she had time, but to this while, any walk was sufficient. Past a holodeck, a group of crewmen heading for the mess hall, the appealing aroma spreading from the Brew Continuum café, Jovenan was ready to head to her quarters for a rest.
S. Richards: Jovenan! Hey!
Jovenan turned around, finding someone in civilian clothes rushing towards her from the café with a drink in her hand. The face, framed by long and beautiful auburn red hair, felt familiar to her, but she couldn’t place a name on it. Was she really so bad with names and faces that she couldn’t recognize a crewmember just because they were out of uniform? No, this person couldn’t be someone she had often met, yet there was a memory fighting to resurface, a strong memory, but she couldn’t find it. Besides, as she had soon discovered after her promotion, there were too few crewmembers who could call after her by name and not by rank.
The woman she couldn’t name reached her quickly. Jovenan addressed her in a simple fashion, trying to be professional despite her inability to reach out to the memory confusing her.
Jovenan: Yes?
S. Richards: Sorry to bombard you like this, but I don’t know if you remember me ::beat:: my name is Sam. We met on the Borg Cube…
The Cube. That was enough to break the surface and allow the memory to come out. The all-engulfing fear, the unbearable heat and stench, the innocent Amity planetary scientist who had punched a drone, the rage towards the Borg for daring to touch her Jovenan had failed to contain… It all felt so hazy now, after the torment that they had gone through at Sol, but there she was again.
Jovenan: Sam Richards? Oh, I’m sorry! How are you?
S. Richards: I was just grabbing some coffee, do you have a couple minutes to talk? I know you probably think this seems crazy, and you’d probably be right, but I’d like to talk to you about that day… if that’s okay?
It was admittedly unusual that a person she barely knew and who should have been at the other side of the galaxy had approached her near her home, saying something about appearing “crazy”. Considering the unusual circumstances in which they had met, Jovenan didn’t mind the additional weirdness. She didn’t tend to keep contact with people she had once known, finding it often difficult to overcome the shyness and anxiety that came with forming relations and meeting expectations, but this time, Jovenan was genuinely happy to see Richards again. After the Battle, it had not been self-evident that the Amity scientist had survived at all, and Richards had been the one from the first joint team that had most stuck in her mind.
Jovenan: Yes, of course. Um, I do have to get to my shift on the bridge after my dinner break is over, but I can talk for a while.
S. Richards: Thank you. I promise I won’t take up too much of your time. ::Looking around:: Where would you like to go to talk?
Jovenan looked around them. She didn’t know what kind of matter their guest wanted to talk about, so she wondered if it was better to seek some private place or if she would be more comfortable for her to just sit down for a minute somewhere public. After looking down at Richards’ cup, Jovenan offered an option.
Jovenan: We could, uh, go to the café. I could have a drink as well and maybe something to eat, so I don’t have to worry about making it to my shift, if that’s okay.
S. Richards: Response
Jovenan nodded with a smile and gestured Richards to lead the way. She was fairly close to grasping the visiting civilian by the shoulders to make sure she got there safe, but she managed to remind herself that she didn’t have any reason to be protective over her any more; Richards was a highly-skilled professional and a grown adult – whose panic reaction had just once been to punch a Borg. Jovenan had done something equally stupid as well once or twice and didn’t expect anyone to start treating her differently, not any random people at least. She was probably a very different person now that they were no longer in an insurmountable danger.
Inside, Jovenan ordered a rooibos tea and a couple of savoury pastries before sitting down with Richards.
Jovenan: I’m really sorry I didn’t recognize you at first, I didn’t expect to see you here. How come you are here anyway?
S. Richards: Response
Jovenan smiled at her response and gestured her to take some of the pastries the barista had just brought for them.
Jovenan: And what happened to you and the others once we parted ways? You must have been on the Kitty Hawk, right?
S. Richards: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11